Date: December 18, 2022
Dawn arrives, bathing the land in the golden glow of the sun. Bronwen, Otto and Donovan awaken in their makeshift campsite, adrenaline having long since worn off and their wounds not given adequate time to heal. Bronwen and Donovan try to travel towards Montmurr, but are simply too tired from their grievous injuries to make significant progress and soon return to camp, hoping to rest a while longer. The group spends three days and three nights at the campsite, resting and gathering supplies to keep the group going. On occasion, a frightening noise is heard from the woods beyond, though no beasts are ever seen entering the campsite. Upon the third dawn, the three begin to feel confident about their ability to travel once more and set out towards the village. Otto had not sustained any injuries from his previous battles and allows his two wounded companions to ride atop the horse while he walks alongside them.
When the three finally arrive at the village of Montmurr, they find that the settlement is surprisingly still standing. Many of the roofs are charred and some buildings have been demolished, though the village itself seems to be mostly intact. Large numbers of Red Blades mercenaries fill the streets, performing hasty repairs on the damaged buildings and constructing a wooden palisade around the settlement. Bronwen approaches one of the mercenaries and asks for the whereabouts of Antoine. The mercenary stops his work for a moment, informing the barbarian that Antoine hasn’t let himself be seen by the public since the raid, as he feels his defensive performance was shameful. The mercenary asks if the group had seen the missing people, which they had not previously encountered on their way back towards the village. The party unanimously decides to look for survivors in the woods, setting out in search of the missing people.
The group makes their way back through the dense trees and brambles of the Montmurr Woods, searching for any sign of human life. The journey is fairly uneventful, as the three retrace their steps looking for the cart. By nightfall, they arrive at the same spot they had been rescued from their hobgoblin captors, though something appears wrong. The wooden cart lies flipped upside-down, wood splintered as if something had rammed into the vehicle with impressive speed or power. The three keep their guard up as they continue through the woods. Heading in the direction the cart was taking them leads them to a mighty wooden palisade, encasing a ruined fortress. Peeking between the wooden logs has little effect, though the group still wishes to know what lies beyond. Otto climbs onto the horse, then hoists his way onto Bronwen’s shoulders. Otto begins to totter and fears he may fall, fortunately he is able to regain his balance and peers over the wooden wall.
Wooden carts fill the interior of this fortification, just across from the central ruined structure. Large tents cover the dead grass and a few wooden pens lie towards the back of the fortification. Contained in the pens are around twelve humans and two cursed, captured by the hobgoblins. Otto safely makes his way back to the ground, revealing his findings to the rest of the group. They ultimately decide it would be best to travel back to the village and journey back through the dark woods. The three stop around midnight and decide to rest until dawn, setting up another makeshift campsite with leaves and wooden sticks. Despite their efforts to rest, the three wake multiple times in the night, unnerved as if something was watching them from afar. Despite the eerie atmosphere, the night goes on without much further incident.
Dawn arrives and the three waste no time in returning to the village once more. Bronwen and Donovan travel mounted on the horse while Otto walks alongside them. Emerging from the treeline, the three fortunately find the village in the same state they left it in. After searching the streets for a little while, they eventually find the mercenary they had previously talked to. They explain that they have found the captured individuals though are unsure how to get them to safety. The mercenary ponders for a brief moment, as a full-on assault would leave the village weakened and vulnerable to another raid. Remembering that goblins are a type of fae, the mercenary suggests a deal could be arranged for the release of the captives. Desperate to find something worth trading, the three begin to gather mundane items from around the village before descending back into the well. Items are tossed into the pit one-by-one, each time another item flies back out. Unfortunately, none of the items are seen as particularly worthwhile by the group, who soon return to the surface. The three head towards the inn, trying to find another solution to their increasingly time-sensitive problem before it is too late.
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